The distinction is not always clear cut, though: for instance, a constant buffer used in a draw call is a resource, but its content can be considered a state. However, draw calls are meaningless on their own: they require context (or state) and also resources - such as vertex buffers and textures-, and parameters - such as vertex count and primitive type. The result was one of the defining features of Sasquatch: the draw call.Ī second defining element came into play later, namely the compute dispatch, which defined the primary function of Sasquatch: to dispatch draw calls as efficiently as possible. To begin with, we wanted to figure out which is the smallest element on which rendered frames are built. (I’m using the Hacker’s Dictionary definition of ‘hairy’ here: complicated, entangled, and fragile.)
![lua stardust lua stardust](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EoPdElcW4AEoxBp.jpg)
That car is comparable to the sight I usually get when I look at the rendering system of a commercial game engine: a giant hairy monstrosity that ordinary people are not supposed to touch. On top of that, if you remove the fuzzy dice, the car just won’t start, and nobody can tell you why all they can tell you is that you should have never touched the fuzzy dice, and you just suddenly voided your warranty. It is a mess and, after some digging, you realize that the air conditioning is actually in what you thought was the ski box, and the turbocharger is under the passenger seat: which explains why it tends to get rather hot, and asbestos is mixed in the seats’ upholstery. Then, one day, you need to pop the hood for whatever reason - add more coolant, who knows - and what you see is your worst nightmare: a jumble of cables, pipes, wires, and chains. It has all the features one could wish for and a lot more, from the turbocharger and air conditioning to fuzzy dice and a DVD jukebox.Įveryone on the street turns their head when they see it, and the salesman claims it is the top of the line in the automobile industry.
![lua stardust lua stardust](https://live.staticflickr.com/4175/34414106591_43551ed356_b.jpg)
![lua stardust lua stardust](https://live.staticflickr.com/4246/34877491971_eb7b66528b_b.jpg)
Imagine it’s 1993, and you just bought a new shiny car: not just any car, but your dream car.